The 836-acre North Fox Island, off the shore of Leland and Charlevoix, isvalued at $15 million. The island includes a 180-foot-high dune formation, a stone/sand beach, and five miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. The state will pay only $2.2 million from a land grant trust for Johnson's legal and closing expenses, making the donation worth nearly $13 million.
Johnson is the developer of the Bay Harbor Community west of Petoskey, Turtle Lake in Bloomfield Hills and the Parks at Stonewood in Clarkston. Johnson said he bought North Fox Island in 1994 to stop a 535-home, golf course and marina development proposed by Paul Nine of Grand Traverse Resort. Johnson said the plans for the property had caused widespread concern and protests from environmentalists.
"I was fortunate enough to have the means to acquire the island and donateit to those who will preserve it forever for the enjoyment and enlightenmentof future generations," Johnson said.
However, some environmentalists are complaining Johnson's recent donation is merely a land-for-land deal to acquire property on nearby South Fox Island from the state. David Yankee, acquisition manager for the land and mineral division of the Michigan Department of Resources, said Johnson is working with state and federal agencies to consolidate his holdings on the larger, neighboring South Fox Island into the lower two-thirds of the island. Yankee told GlobeSt.com that the consolidation was just being done for convenience. Because Johnson already owns two-thirds of the 1,200-acreisland, the state and the developer are just trying to make the land contiguous.
"He initially proposed to exchange North Fox for state ownership of the restof South Fox a few years ago, but the DNR didn't approve that transaction,"Yankee said.
With the consolidation, Johnson would also acquire 115 square miles at the southern tip of South Fox, including a boat harbor. He called the North Fox donation a welcome gift."The island is an important asset for the people," Yankee said.
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